A Series of Unfortunate Events:

Yesterday morning was smashing. Probably it was the loveliest
morning we've had yet this year. I know because I spent most
of the morning outside. It was all a result of a series of
unfortunate events.

Tyler came in from the Turkey woods at about 7:30 and told
me that Katie, the horse down the road was in our garden
area and couldn't get out. She had jumped the fence to get
in, but now was running in circles looking for a way out.
Kent told him to catch her (she's quite tame) and take her
into the big field, through a gate and then out onto the
road through another, so that she could be walked home.

I went out to help, but I misunderstood which gate he was
bringing her through. I went to the yard gate. Since I
wasn't there Tyler had to let go of her to open the road
gate. She wandered away and found the cows and then she
went loco and started chasing them. She was having a great
time, but they were frightened.

I ran to the house to get some apples to help in catching
her again and while I was inside the phone rang. It was
cousin Mary. She lives behind us. She said, "Blue says
he saw a cow go racing by the house a full speed a minute
ago."

Oh boy. Now a cow was loose. By this time Tyler had caught
Katie and was walking her down the road. Kent, Hattie and
I went cow looking. Not just one, but all the cows except
for the calf were gone. We found two behind the small field
and they were easy to get back in, but the the calf's mamma
was missing.

We tracked her for quite a ways, she was headed towards the
Greenwood's place, traveling back behind the Crow's fence.
Our neighbors came out to help and between everyone we were
finally able to round her up and get her home. Meanwhile
her calf had gone into a depression. The mamma cow was cut
in several places. She was the one who had burst, in her fear,
through the barbed wire fence, but her calf was cut and
bleeding on the nose. I guess between fear of being chased,
and the pain from the cut, and missing her mother, she had lain
down and wouldn't get up. But once she was reunited with
mom she perked up and was fine.

So it was an exciting morning for us and for several of the
neighbors. Just another in a string of adventures here on
Fernnook Farm.